CBD And Covid | Can CBD Block Covid? Researchers At OSU Say Yes!

 CBD is miraculous in many ways, from lowering anxiety and PTSD, to reducing inflammation and seizures, to helping with insomnia. Now researchers at Oregon State University have found that CBDA and CBGA can block COVID and other viruses from entering the cells. Maybe instead of implementing draconian vaccine mandates, the government should just suggest you try a little CBD first? Ya think? Let's talk about CBD and Covid.

In our perfect world we would not force people to take things they are not comfortable with, but instead look for natural remedies, as we have found that nature knows best how to preserve life on the planet. Go figure. Let's read the facts of the study below. You'll be glad to know this a propaganda free site, so you don't have to worry about "fake news" or agendas. We will keep it simply and report the facts. The real ones. Let's see what actual scientists found out just miles from our organic hemp farm in central Oregon.

OSU researchers discovered hemp compounds in the lab that successfully prevented COVID-19 virus from entering human cells using a chemical screening technique developed at OSU.

The findings of a study led by Richard van Breemen, an Oregon State researcher at the Global Hemp Innovation Center in the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, were published today in the Journal of Natural Products.

Hemp, also known as Cannabis sativa, is a source of fiber, food, and animal feed, as well as a variety of hemp extracts and chemicals used in cosmetics, lotions, dietary supplements, and foods.

Cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, are the molecules in question. The spike protein is the same drug target utilized in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. A drug target is any molecule that is necessary for a disease's lifecycle and may be targeted by drugs to prevent infection or disease progression.

"These cannabinoid acids are plentiful in hemp and many hemp extracts," said van Breemen. "They're not as dangerous as THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, and they've got a good safety record in people. And our study found that the hemp compounds were just as effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants including B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and B.1.351, which was first detected in South Africa."

The alpha and beta variants are the first two types.

SARS-CoV-2 has RNA strands that encode its four main structural proteins – spike, envelope, membrane, and nucleocapsid – as well as 16 nonstructural proteins and several "accessory" proteins.

“Any phase of the infection and replication cycle might be a potential treatment target, and the joining of the spike protein's receptor binding domain to ACE2 on human cell surfaces is a key step in that process,” he added. “That means cell entry blockers, such as the acids in hemp flower, might be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and speed up other infections by preventing virus particles from binding to human cells. They bind to the spike proteins, preventing them from attaching to the ACE2 enzyme on the outside membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs.

In addition, he suggests that anti-viral compounds that interfere with viral receptor interactions have been beneficial in treating patients with other viral diseases, including HIV-1 and hepatitis.

Ruth Muchiri of the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, along with six researchers from OHSU, discovered two cannabinoid acids using a mass spectrometry-based screening approach developed in van Breemen's laboratory. Red clover, wild yam, hops, and three kinds of licorice were tested as dietary supplements by van Breemen's group.

A paper published in the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry described tailoring the novel approach, affinity selection mass spectrometry, to finding medications that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

In the past, lab tests revealed that cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented coronavirus spike protein-induced cell injury in human epithelial cells and SARS-CoV-2 entry.

“These chemicals can be consumed orally and have a long track record of safety when used in humans,” van Breemen said. “They have the potential to prevent as well as cure SARS-CoV-2 infection. CBDA and CBGA are made by the hemp plant as precursors to CBD and CBG, which are familiar to many consumers. They differ from acids present in hemp products but aren't produced by the hemp plant itself.”

Dr. Van Breemen explains how affinity selection mass spectrometry, which he abbreviates to AS-MS, works: a drug target is incubated with a combination of potential ligands – things that may bind to it – such as a botanical extract in this case hemp extract.

The non-binding molecules are then filtered from the ligand-receptor complexes using one of several techniques.

“We looked at several cannabinoid ligands and ranked them based on their ability to bind to the spike protein,” van Breemen said. CBDA and CGBA were found to have the highest affinity for the spike protein, and they were shown to inhibit infection.

“The spread of variants, of which there are many, and B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are among the most prevalent and concerning,” he continued. “These variations are notorious for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen. Our findings suggest CBDA and CBGA work against both variants investigated here, and we hope this will be true for other existing and future variants as well.”

Dr. Van Breemen, who created the vaccine and led the clinical trial, said that while some resistant mutants may emerge with wide use of cannabinoids, vaccination plus CBDA/CBGA treatment would make for a far more difficult setting for SARS-CoV-2.

“Our previous study revealed the existence of another chemical, one from licorice, that binds to the spike protein as well,” he added. “However, we haven't tested licochalcone A against the live virus yet because we lack additional funding.”

The cannabis study conducted by OSU College of Pharmacy professor David Janmohamed, doctoral candidate Nathan Hauch, and graduate student Trevor Douglas was published recently in the Journal of Virology. Timothy Bates, Jules Weinstein, Hans Leier, Scotland Farley and Fikadu Tafesse of OHSU also aided in the study.

CBD and CBG aside from having virtually no negative side effects, actually promote health and well being. I guess there is a reason why humans and animals alike have cannabinoid receptors in their brain. Your body can process these compounds for a reason, they promote healing and prevent sickness. What a genius design!

Instead of going to Walgreens and CVS, you might want to add a little DLO to your health regimen. That's not a health advice, it's just a thought. Just maybe.